High Tide Aquatics

Has tank build quality gone downhill?

I spent yesterday touring many different stores with a little tank surveying on the brain. I was sadly disappointed in what I saw. Silicone jobs still sucked (messy and gobbed) as usual, but I also noticed the following on some "Premium" starphire tanks.

1) substantial bubbling in the silicone seam (clear silicone so easy to see)
2) a rimless tank where one side of the front pane was substantially raised relative to the side wall
3) a rimless tank where the bottom of one side was substantially "kicked in" relative to front pain
4) a stand (distributed) with a catastrophic design flaw


I haven't shopped for tanks in a while....but ..is this a "growing problem" or is it an old one?
 
PM sent G.

I'm not sure how widespread the tank QC issues, so I'll keep the names private.

I will say however to anyone who is thinking of getting a CADLIGHTS 50 tank, DO NOT use the supplied rubber/plastic feet. The tanks load should be on the walls. If you use the feet which screw into the base shelf, it puts it load onto the center board and it easily will shear and tear through the side walls.
 
Gomer said:
PM sent G.

I'm not sure how widespread the tank QC issues, so I'll keep the names private.

I will say however to anyone who is thinking of getting a CADLIGHTS 50 tank, DO NOT use the supplied rubber/plastic feet. The tanks load should be on the walls. If you use the feet which screw into the base shelf, it puts it load onto the center board and it easily will shear and tear through the side walls.

Mine sits on carpet. No feet. I hope carpet distributes the weight evenly. Not sure what is typically used for hardwood floors.
 
I have been reading about a lot of tank failures (seams splitting, etc.) on the MARS portion of Reef Central. Wonder if it is related to the poor seals that you noticed on the new tanks for sale.
 
I've seen silicon flaws both in imports and domestics; both being the mass produced ones; lately as you point out, some rimless (pricier ones) having a glass pane higher than the rest of the tank or a bubble/air gap in the seams.
 
99sf said:
I have been reading about a lot of tank failures (seams splitting, etc.) on the MARS portion of Reef Central. Wonder if it is related to the poor seals that you noticed on the new tanks for sale.

Seam splitting was a cheap jebo Chinese made tank as was another tank issue on the MARS forum. No surprise there and totally different issue then what Jeremy is talking about. Chinese tanks have always had extremely poor build quality with even less QA. You get what you pay for.
 
Perhaps I should ask then, in people's experience of current tanks production, who does make reliable, well built tanks? (I'm trying to keep it as a list of "good" rather than explicit "bad")
 
AGE and Lee Mar :) Now getting it in a timely fashion they both kinda fail that :(
 
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